{"nrhp_refnum":"05001405","name":"Cotton Belt Building","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1517 W. Front St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Tyler","county":"Smith County","state":"TX","lat":32.34906926100007,"lon":-95.31774507799997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2005-12-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story office building with a basement at 1517 West Front Street in Tyler, Smith County, Texas, built in 1954 as the corporate headquarters of the St. Louis Southwestern Railway (Cotton Belt).","why_significant":"The building is significant for its association with the Cotton Belt railroad, one of Tyler's most important long-lived businesses, and for its architecture. It blends International Style massing with Art Deco classical detailing and differs from Tyler's other local International Style examples in size and massing. It also reflects Tyler's postwar growth during the East Texas oil boom.","narrative":"Built in 1954 on West Front Street in Tyler, this two-story yellow brick office building with a full basement served as the corporate headquarters of the St. Louis Southwestern Railway, known as the Cotton Belt. Railroad president H. J. McKenzie drew the plans, which Fort Worth architect Wyatt C. Hedrick finalized. The flat-roofed, cube-like form, ribbon windows and symmetrical facades reflect the International Style, while the recessed entry with gray granite panels, limestone dentils and pink granite steps draws on Art Deco classicism. Two office blocks surround interior courtyards so that offices could have window walls. The building brought scattered Tyler staff and Missouri-based executives under one roof and returned the headquarters to the city where the line began. It was recognized for its architecture and for its link to Tyler's railroad-based economy. Smith County now uses it for offices, and the exterior and many interior finishes remain largely original.","period_of_significance":"1954-55","architect_builder":"McKenzie, H. J., and Hedrick, Wyatt C.; Builder: O'Rourk Construction Co.","architectural_style":"Modern Movement: International Style","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Owned by Smith County and used as county offices, including the tax office and archives, since 1985; described as being in excellent condition with a high degree of integrity.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:23.746844-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/65/9699/40969965/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/05001405.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05001405/04366272d3-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05001405/04366272d3-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Renelibrary","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CottonBelt1.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Renelibrary</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CottonBelt1.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40969965","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q110002753"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/smith-county/cotton-belt-building-05001405/"}